Epigraphical Study of the Burial Chamber Belonging to Nakhtmin (TT 87): Materiality and Scribal Hands

Abstract

The epigraphical study of the inscribed walls in the Theban burial chamber commissioned by Nakht­ min (TT 87), undertaken between 2020 and 2022, has established the steps of the decorative process of the chamber and identified three scribal hands. The chaîne opératoire behind the decoration was elucida­ ted by the cooperation of epigraphists and restorers through the careful observation of all the physical marks left on the surfaces both in situ (using normal and raking lights, as well as magnifying glasses) and with high resolution photographs. The identification of the hands is based on the analysis of an array of features related to the mise en page, the morphology and technology of signs, and scribal practices. This research, undertaken from the perspective of material philology, sheds light on New Kingdom craftsmen and scribes, considering both their collective work and in­ dividual traits.